You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. Psalm 104:19
The air now has a slight chill to it, the leaves are turning brown and yellow and orange, and the days are getting shorter. It's fall. Not really my favorite time of year. I'm cold-natured. I love the heat of summer and days that seem to go on forever. Fall signals short days and the starkness of winter. However, there are advantages to this season, and from a monetary standpoint, it's a great season to save some money.
The utility rate in our town is fairly high. On average, our utility bill (which also includes water, sewer, and garbage pick-up) is about $250. Any time we can drop our bill below $200 is great. Eventually, we'd love to install solar panels and get a little more off the grid, but until we can afford to do that, we've got to try to save a little where we can. The cooler fall days mean we don't have to run the air conditioner, and it's not yet cold enough to have to run the heat. This can really reduce our electricity consumption and, of course, our bill.
We also continue to dry clothes outside as much as possible to avoid using the dryer. Until it gets too cold to put them out (though, I hear of folks line drying in the dead of winter), we'll keep doing it. The shorter days, though, mean you have to get them out earlier to maximize the daylight.
As my garden begins to dry up, I'm collecting seeds for next year. This way, I won't have to buy new seed packets for a few things. I've got tons of marigold seeds, and the okra pods are just about dry enough to crack open.
I've also been collecting little tiny pine cones that fall off the evergreen trees around our property. These should come in handy for holiday crafts and decorating. Nature can offer some wonderful, free things. And, in my book, it's so much better to use natural items than to buy synthetic products, which aren't biodegradable.
One of the old Aesop's fables tells of a grasshopper who plays all summer and doesn't prepare for winter. His friend, the ant, works diligently to store what will be needed to sustain him through the cold weather. In the end, the grasshopper begs for food from the ant. This autumn, we're trying to be like the ant, so that we can store some resources (aka, save some money). We are still uncertain how long it will take for Kevin's disability application to be approved. I just had to fill out my own round of paperwork for the application. Once again, we wait. In the meantime, we still have to be frugal. It could be a long winter, and we don't want to end up like the grasshopper.
The air now has a slight chill to it, the leaves are turning brown and yellow and orange, and the days are getting shorter. It's fall. Not really my favorite time of year. I'm cold-natured. I love the heat of summer and days that seem to go on forever. Fall signals short days and the starkness of winter. However, there are advantages to this season, and from a monetary standpoint, it's a great season to save some money.
The utility rate in our town is fairly high. On average, our utility bill (which also includes water, sewer, and garbage pick-up) is about $250. Any time we can drop our bill below $200 is great. Eventually, we'd love to install solar panels and get a little more off the grid, but until we can afford to do that, we've got to try to save a little where we can. The cooler fall days mean we don't have to run the air conditioner, and it's not yet cold enough to have to run the heat. This can really reduce our electricity consumption and, of course, our bill.
We also continue to dry clothes outside as much as possible to avoid using the dryer. Until it gets too cold to put them out (though, I hear of folks line drying in the dead of winter), we'll keep doing it. The shorter days, though, mean you have to get them out earlier to maximize the daylight.
As my garden begins to dry up, I'm collecting seeds for next year. This way, I won't have to buy new seed packets for a few things. I've got tons of marigold seeds, and the okra pods are just about dry enough to crack open.
I've also been collecting little tiny pine cones that fall off the evergreen trees around our property. These should come in handy for holiday crafts and decorating. Nature can offer some wonderful, free things. And, in my book, it's so much better to use natural items than to buy synthetic products, which aren't biodegradable.
One of the old Aesop's fables tells of a grasshopper who plays all summer and doesn't prepare for winter. His friend, the ant, works diligently to store what will be needed to sustain him through the cold weather. In the end, the grasshopper begs for food from the ant. This autumn, we're trying to be like the ant, so that we can store some resources (aka, save some money). We are still uncertain how long it will take for Kevin's disability application to be approved. I just had to fill out my own round of paperwork for the application. Once again, we wait. In the meantime, we still have to be frugal. It could be a long winter, and we don't want to end up like the grasshopper.